Woods won’t come back until he’s 100 percent
Has golf seen the last of Tiger Woods in 2011?
With Woods’ announcement Tuesday that he will miss next week’s British Open at Royal St. George’s, there remains just one major championship on the schedule: the PGA Championship on Aug. 11-14 at Atlanta Athletic Club.
And though he didn’t quite say it Tuesday, it’s not out of the question he will miss the least prestigious of golf’s four majors as well as he rehabilitates his injured left knee and Achilles.
Last week at Aronimink Country Club, site of the AT&T National, Woods stressed his new cautious mindset regarding his return to golf, and he reiterated that Tuesday with his announcement via his website.
“Unfortunately, I’ve been advised that I should not play in the British Open,” said Woods, who will miss his second straight major and fourth in as many years. “As I stated at the AT&T National, I am only going to come back when I’m 100 percent ready. I do not want to risk further injury.”
Woods’ announcement Tuesday came as little surprise, especially after he revealed last week that he had yet to hit a full shot — only putts — since withdrawing from the Players Championship in May.
Woods also said last week that if he had to do it over again, he would not have competed in the Players, where he limped off the course after shooting a 42 on the opening nine holes. A month earlier at the Masters, where he tied for fourth, Woods strained his knee in the third round when he hit a shot from pine straw on the 17th hole. The injury was diagnosed as a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament and a strain of the left Achilles.
“In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have competed at the Players, but it’s a big event, and I wanted to be there to support the tour,” Woods said Tuesday. “I’ve got to learn from what I did there and do it right this time and not come back until I’m ready.”
Heeding doctor’s advice is a new strategy for Woods. When he won the last of his 14 major championships at the 2008 U.S. Open, he competed despite the warnings of his doctors.
After limping to a signature playoff victory over Rocco Mediate, Woods underwent reconstructive surgery to repair a leg that had multiple stress fractures and an ACL that had been torn months earlier.
Woods recovered, enjoying an outstanding 2009 season as he won six PGA Tour events, including the AT&T National. But since revelations of several extramarital affairs following an auto accident in front of his home on Thanksgiving weekend of 2009, Woods has not won a tournament.
Last week at the AT&T National, the 35-year-old Woods walked without a limp and sounded excited about his future in golf, reminding reporters that Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at age 46.
“I think my best years are still ahead of me,” Woods said Tuesday. “I’m very confident and optimistic about the future.”
